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Hear No Evil

Warning: Triggers for victims child sexual abuse.

Betsy was overweight,unkempt, and shunned by the other kids. “Everybody” knew she “did” it with Jimmy in his barn whenever he wanted to. She didn’t deny it, even though he called her a pig. When the home-economics teacher stepped out of class one day, Betsy told us her step-daddy got in bed with her whenever her parents had a fight. We were all repulsed, thinking she was “talking dirty.” He was known to be an alcoholic, frequently drunk in public. She told us he beat the whole family. She frequently bore bruises. None of us reported it to anybody. I was disgusted, avoiding her like the plague. Wild horses couldn’t have dragged that story out of me. Becky’s step-father despised her for her illegitimacy. The couple had two younger girls and a boy together. ,Who knows if they suffered the same abuse as Becky did

Life went on. I heard Betsy married and had children. Years later, she did prison time for molesting boys in her neighborhood. Who knows how many children were hurt? By the time she came out of prison, she was in very poor health, living out her life with her mother and a different step-father. What a shame no one was there for this sad child early on, including me.

This is a really sad situation, but really and unfortunately, a very common one… scared about what the repercussions for us would be, we shy away from stepping in somewhere, and possibly making that one bit of difference that was needed…

I appreciate that although you did nothing, you are able and courageous enough to acknowledge it openly even though you regret it and perhaps feel ashamed. It’s a good lesson for everybody. I hope you can accept your mistake, we all make them. Thanks for sharing.

This is is why it is now the law to report child abuse. For so many years it was swept under the rug, and victims were treated as villains. I’m so glad light has been cast on this, and I hope awareness has been spread enough to change it forever.